


花言葉 - Hanakotoba

by draagonfly



Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Gen, Language of Flowers, precious cats being precious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 16:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5792479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draagonfly/pseuds/draagonfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shui only wants to make Leaks' appearance a little more cheerful.<br/>-<br/>"Language of flowers" because I am unoriginal, but I really wanted it to happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	花言葉 - Hanakotoba

The soft _tap tap_ of a bird pecking a tree outside of the window was the only sound that penetrated the heavy silence in the room. It was a good heavy, a comfortable weight of stillness that was quickly becoming a rarity where it was once commonplace. Leaks sat at his reading desk in the corner, contemplating an old tome left behind by Two Canes. He enjoyed the quiet; he got his best work done when he was left uninterrupted and focused, devoting all of his consciousness to the task in front of him. In that state, however, it was easy to forget that he wasn’t alone.

“Leaks?”

His focus was lost along with whatever thought he had been forming, and he turned his head just enough to glare at the cat who dared interrupt his studies. Though, if he were being honest, he didn’t mind Shui’s constant chattering as much as he pretended to. And he had gotten a decent hour’s worth of peace thanks to the book he had picked up specifically for the purpose of keeping said cat entertained. Even though Shui was well-versed in the language of Two Canes and so could read just about anything Leaks had in his library, he had found that picture books were much better at keeping his attention than books filled with text.

The book he had found was on the language of flowers, a strange art form that Two Canes had created. They seemed to have enjoyed assigning meaning to things that had none, like flowers and stars and tea leaves, a practice Leaks found mostly useless. Shui of course found it fascinating, and was always excited to learn more about it – he now had his own shelf in Leaks’ library dedicated to such books kept around solely to keep him distracted. They were obviously not a permanent solution though, and Leaks would eventually be called upon to alleviate Shui’s curiosity again.

“Yes, Shui?”

“Why do you always wear such dark colors? You seem as though you’re always mourning something.”

Where Shui had found this thought in a book about flowers, he wasn’t sure. In any case, Leaks had never given much thought to what he wore, though if he were pushed to say he did seem to favor dark greys and blacks more than anything.

“Because I am mourning. I’m mourning the loss of my peace and quiet thanks to a certain persistently noisy cat.” Shui had long since gotten used to Leaks’ brash manner of speech, so he wasn’t surprised to see him roll his eyes and ignore the comment. Now fully facing his guest, Leaks crossed his legs and placed his elbow on the desk next to him, waiting for Shui to continue what was sure to be a frivolous conversation.

“Don’t you ever think about wearing some more color?” Shui’s cloak billowed out as he spun around once, giving Leaks the full view of his ostentatiously bright clothing. “Perhaps you wouldn’t be so gloomy all the time if you didn’t surround yourself with such darkness.”

“I’m not gloomy, you’re just unusually cheerful.” He neglected to mention that his favorite color lately was in fact a soft yet fiery red that glinted bronze in the moonlight. He found it aesthetically pleasing is all, though Shui would definitely have something to say about his preference. “Would you have me dress in clothes like yours then?”

Shui gave Leaks a once over to consider it, and promptly covered his mouth in a failed attempt to stifle his laughter. Leaks sighed as his laughter died down, and he pretended to himself that he wasn’t filing away the sound in his memory. “Maybe not. But I still think a splash of color would be good for you.”

Leaks failed to see the health benefits of colors, but refrained from arguing the point. As stubbornly optimistic as he was, it was usually easier to let him think what he likes, logical or otherwise.

“Unfortunately, even if I wanted to incorporate any color into my wardrobe, I don’t have anything up to your standards of ‘colorful’.” Brown ears drooped comically as Shui conceded the point. “Anyway, my clothes are fine as they are. Of the two of us, bright colors suit you far better.”

Shui smiled bashfully, a light dusting of pink spreading over his cheeks, and Leaks added it to his mental library of expressions he’s seen Shui make. “Thank you, Leaks.”

Leak’s brushed him off with a wave of his hand and turned back to his book. “There’s no need to thank me – I wasn’t really trying to compliment you.”

“Well, thank you anyway.” Soft footsteps grew closer over the small distance from the window by which Shui had been reading to the desk, stopping just before Leaks’ stool. Just as he was going to ask what, exactly, Shui was doing, something warm and soft pressed to his cheek. He stiffened, still unsure how to respond to the gesture. It wasn’t the first time Shui had shown his affection in such a way, but it still felt unfamiliar and Leaks had a difficult time accepting it. “It’s time that I return home for the evening. Katsuki will be angry if I’m late again.”

“The moon is beginning to set so don’t stray from the path, no matter what manner of pretty things you may see. I know how distractible you are.”

Shui’s grateful smile rivaled the moon of day in its warmth. “I will be careful, Leaks.”

With those parting words he was gone, though the residual pressure of his kiss against Leaks’ cheek remained well into the evening.

* * *

_Knock, knock._

The moon of day had risen only an hour ago, yet it seemed Leaks’ visitor had no qualms about showing up at the crack of dawn. He had thankfully risen early that morning to continue his projects from the previous evening, and so was far less grumpy at the early morning intrusion than he would’ve been otherwise.

“You know it’s open, Shui.” The door silently swung open, admitting Leaks’ guest into the front room. He stepped inside and took his customary seat near the window, accepting a cup of tea gratefully.

“Of course I know it’s open, but I also know you would have a fit if I just decided to waltz in unannounced. Especially so early in the morning.” Shui brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip, smiling serenely as the steam wafted past his nose. “Contrary to what you might think, I do try not to annoy you too much.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Leaks took his own cup in his hands and walked to the shelf next to the window, trying to decide what sort of research he would conduct today. He was debating between starting a new offensive spell and refining his magical barriers when there was a small tug on his sleeve. He turned to find Shui staring meaningfully at him, though he wasn’t quite sure what meaning he was trying to convey. “What?”

“May I braid your hair?” Such an unpredictable request, first thing in the morning – such was Shui’s typical behavior.

“My hair is already braided, as you can plainly see.”

Pouting was something Leaks had thought was reserved for kittens who didn’t get their way, but it seemed he needed to rethink that theory with how often the expression crossed Shui’s face. “Of course I can see it. I mean that I want to braid it again myself. There is something I want to try.”

“Absolutely not.” Leaks had spent far too long growing his hair this long only to have to cut it when Shui caused it irreparable damage. He didn’t have a lot of preferences about his appearance, but he did favor his long hair and avoided cutting it as often as possible, going so far as to test a growing spell on it once. It had worked, and would be able to correct whatever mistakes Shui might make, but it was a troublesome spell to perform correctly.

“It’s nothing bad, I know you would be angry if I did anything drastic. I’m only going to braid it, honestly.” Entrusting his hair to another cat was not something Leaks ever considered, given his lack of acquaintances, though he had to admit he was curious about what it would be like. He had read in many of Two Canes’ books that having another comb through your hair was a pleasant feeling – and even if it wasn’t, he could always tell Shui to stop.

“Fine, do as you please.” The sparkle in Shui’s eyes made something stir in his chest and he turned away immediately, grabbing a random book from the shelf and retreating to his stool. As we walked, he unwound the braid from around his neck, careful not to let it drag on the ground, and handed the end along with a comb to a visibly excited Shui. He was tempted to grab his widely swaying tail to keep it from knocking anything over, but held himself back. “Comb it out before you try and braid it again. And I’ll be working, so do it _quietly_.”

“Understood!” Leaks sat, and Shui got to work undoing the long plait, and so began the second day in a row of near silence.

* * *

It felt nicer than Leaks imagined to have someone else touch his hair, nicer than any book could describe. Shui was incredibly gentle, taking great care not to pull too hard or tangle any pieces together, for which Leaks was grateful. Not to mention he made a lot of progress with his work in the time that Shui was distracted with his hair, made almost permanently wavy from the braid despite it being naturally straight, much to Shui’s delight. It was a soothing feeling, enough that he probably could have fallen asleep if he let himself, but he stayed focused on his book, determined not to give Shui anything to tease him about.

“And, done!” The gentle tugs on his scalp ceased as Shui finished securing the end with his usual charm. “I hope you like it.”

“The braid is just for convenience, liking it has nothing to do with…” His voice tapered off as he looked back at Shui’s handiwork.

Light blue flowers adorned the entire length of it, scattered randomly but in a precise way, purposeful disorder. They contrasted nicely with the gold of his hair and stood out vibrantly against the dull colors of the room. Leaks thought immediately of a sun shower, cool raindrops falling from a clear sunny sky.

“I just thought, because you don’t have any colors in your wardrobe, that this would be just as good. I can take them out if you don’t like them…”

Leaks didn’t think they suited him, he thought he looked ridiculous in fact – but he couldn’t deny that the delicacy and care with which Shui had worked made it seem a shame to deny them outright. He reached out and gently touched one of the soft petals, thinking that he ought to find a way to use them in a spell or a tea so as not to waste them. Even as he sat contemplating it, he found the flowers were starting to grow on him.

“I’ll have to take them out before I sleep, you know. All your hard work will go to waste.”

“It’s not a waste.” Shui stood, smiling, apparently taking his lack of outright disapproval as acceptance. He wrapped the braid twice around Leaks’ neck in his standard style, and a subtle scent wafted past Leaks’ nose. Soft and floral, sweet and light, he felt it accurately represented the cheerful and airy aura Shui always carried with him. It was pleasant. “I enjoyed doing it. Thank you, Leaks, for letting me.”

That strange feeling that tugged at his chest sometimes when he was around Shui was back. “I’m glad then. Perhaps you should do it again and keep yourself occupied for another hour or so. I’ve gotten a lot of work done and I would like to continue.” _And it was very soothing to have you braid it so gently._

“I would love to do it again.” Shui was either oblivious or ignoring the hidden insult as he stepped cheerfully back to the window were he had deposited his bag. “However both will have to wait until after lunch. And don’t try to tell me you’ll eat later because I know you won’t.”

“Shui –“

“No buts! At least have some tea and fruit. I even brought some kuims with me.” True to his word, Shui held three small purple fruits in his palm, extending them out to Leaks. “I know they’re your favorite, and that it’s hard to get them all the way out here.”

Leave it to Shui to remember something as trivial as his favorite food (Shui’s was baked bread with honey, but he only knew that because he talked about it so often). Leaks reluctantly took a kuim from Shui’s hand and took a small bite. Sweet and sour juice flowed over his tongue and he closed his eyes, swaying his tail lazily back and forth. He heard Shui giggling and stopped himself immediately.

“You really like them, don’t you? In that case, next time I’ll have to find some purple flowers for your hair.” Leak’s cheeks grew warm and he turned away from Shui’s unbearably bright expression. He made a point of keeping his tail perfectly still as they sat and munched on their fruit, idly wondering what Shui would look like with flowers threaded into his hair. It was surprisingly easy to imagine.

“Oh! I’ve just remembered, I need to be going.” Shui stood and dusted off his clothes. “I’m needed in Ransen this afternoon.”

Leaks was quiet as Shui gathered his things and once again stood very close to Leaks’ stool, too close for his liking. “It would be wise to keep better track of your responsibilities as a Sanga. And why do you insist on –“

“Thank you, Leaks. For entrusting me with your hair today.” And again, just like the previous day, a small kiss was placed on his cheek before he had a chance to refuse. Shui backed away, but not before placing another kuim on the desk beside the pile of scribbled notes Leaks had made earlier. “I’ll be back again.”

Again, the warmth of the kiss lingered. “Yes, I don’t doubt that you will.”

One last smile and a wave, and Shui disappeared from sight.

Sighing, Leaks picked up his braid to inspect it once more. In truth, the small blue petals were not nearly as extravagant as they could have been, given that Shui was the one collecting them. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the book of flowers he had given Shui the previous day to keep him occupied. He wondered if this was where he had gotten the idea. Curiosity filled his mind unbidden, and he picked up the book to see what it was Shui had been reading that had initiated such a thought.

Leaks flipped through the pages until he found a picture of small blue flowers, strikingly similar to the ones adorning his braid. _Forget-Me-Not_. As he read over the description, he came to a small paragraph about the meaning Two Canes had given to them. His cheeks grew warm once again as he understood the message behind these particular flowers. Of course, there was no evidence that Shui had even read this page. He likely picked them up on his journey through the forest, thinking they were simply pretty or the least likely to garner Leaks’ disapproval. That was far more likely than…

He shut the book, heart beating just a little faster and face just a bit warmer than usual. He put no faith in arbitrary meanings given by beings of the past – but that didn’t mean Shui thought the same way. He quickly replenished his tea and set straight back to his research, pushing the entire thing from his mind.

And even if he took more care with his decorated braid than was strictly necessary, no one was around to notice.

**Author's Note:**

> According to Symbolism Wiki (make of that what you will):   
> "Forget-Me-Not plants symbolize true love...given or used to decorate gifts with the hope that the recipient will not forget the giver. It also symbolizes faithful love and memories."
> 
> I have a lot of feelings about Rhapsody to the Past........


End file.
